Frightening Strikes

Christmas has always been fertile ground for horror. Beneath the decorations, rituals, and goodwill lies a holiday steeped in darkness and uneasy folkloric tradition. Filmmakers take advantage of that contrast, using festive familiarity to heighten unease rather than offer comfort. The films below span decades and subgenres, from slashers and folklore to bleak psychological slow burns, each finding its own way to corrupt seasonal cheer. Whether cynical, brutal, or quietly unsettling, these are horror films (in no particular order) that understand the power of turning reassurance into threat — and why Christmas can feel more frightening than joyful. 1. Black Christmas (1974) During the Christmas break, a group of sorority sisters begin receiving obscene phone calls that slowly escalate into something far more dangerous. As police investigate a missing student, the house becomes the centre of an unseen and increasingly menacing threat. Black Christmas lays it on the line with chilling a...

Good Boy begins with a quietly unsettling image: Indy, the titular good boy, watching over his owner Todd, who lies unconscious with blood trickling from his mouth. Flickering lights and static from the TV unsettle Indy, who senses that something isn’t quite right. Todd’s sister, Vera, arrives just in time to call an ambulance, but the strangeness of the moment lingers. The Foundation of the Film The film then shifts into a montage of Indy growing up alongside Todd—a warm glimpse into their bond that lays the foundation for everything that follows. It’s this connection, communicated almost entirely through behaviour rather than dialogue, that becomes the emotional core of the film. Once Todd is discharged from hospital, he insists on retreating to their late grandfather’s isolated countryside home, hoping the change of scenery will restore some sense of normality. Vera warns him against it, worried about his health and uneasy about the house, which she describes as “creepy” and possib...

December’s horror slate is a bit thin this year, but there are still a couple of standouts worth keeping an eye on. As the festive season kicks in, audiences can expect a mix of yuletide terror and chilling thrills — from blood‑soaked holiday mayhem to tense, atmospheric scares. While the selection isn’t as packed as other months, these releases (including t wo sequels and a re-make)  promise to inject a little seasonal fear into your Christmas celebrations, proving that even the most cheerful time of year isn’t safe from horror. Wishing you a joyful Christmas and a happy New Year. Troll 2   When a massive new troll awakens in the depths of the Norwegian wilderness, it triggers a wave of destruction that plunges the country into crisis. Paleontologist Nora Tidemann is pulled back into the fray, joining seasoned troll-hunter Kristoffer “Kris” Holm to uncover what sparked the awakening — and how to stop this force of nature. As it grows more dangerous, the team must confront ...

Before I Wake opens with a tense, unsettling scene that immediately establishes the stakes. A distraught man enters a child’s bedroom with a gun, seemingly moments away from shooting the sleeping boy, only to be interrupted at the last moment. It’s an arresting start that sets up the film’s blend of mystery and emotional unease. Rebuilding Lives We then shift to Jess and Mark, a married couple dealing with unimaginable grief after the accidental death of their young son. Hoping to rebuild their lives, they decide to foster a child. Their first placement is Cody, an eight-year-old boy whose background is patchy at best: his mother died when he was three, and both of his previous foster placements ended with the unexplained disappearance of one or both guardians. Jess attends a support group in an effort to work through her grief, while Mark prefers to manage his privately, but the couple seem united in their desire to provide Cody with stability and regain a sense of normality for all ...

After waking up in the basement of an unfamiliar apartment building, Joni begins searching for her missing sister, Emily. Along the way, various tenants warn her that she isn’t supposed to be there, and she’s pursued by a menacing, shadowy figure. Her curious arrival — and the search that follows — takes her through the building floor by floor, with each level introducing a new tenant and a new horror. As she ascends, she’s exposed to the frailties, fears, and insecurities of its inhabitants . A Wraparound Journey Tenants is a horror anthology that uses Joni’s journey as a wraparound narrative, linking seven stories about people undone by their personal demons. The segments vary in tone, mixing emotional drama, dark comedy, and supernatural elements. Among them are “Acting Rash,” in which a struggling actress’s vanity takes a grotesque turn; “Hoarder,” centred on grief and self-imprisonment; “Do You Need Something,” a twisted, funny tale of domestic irritation between roommates tha...

Night of the Reaper is an ’80s-style slasher from director Brandon Christensen that pays homage to the horror staples of that decade, lovingly recreating the era’s look and feel. The retro-styled opening titles only heighten the anticipation but does it work? The Unsolved Murder The film opens in familiar territory: Emily Golding, a babysitter on Halloween night, is alone in the house, being increasingly threatened by an unseen intruder. At first, she assumes it’s the kids playing around, until the tension goes through the gears and the game turns deadly. It's an eerie, unsettling opener that delivers genuine menace. A few years later, Emily's murder remains unsolved, casting a pall over the town. The house where the killing occurred stands empty and unsellable. Rodney Arnold is the local sheriff who is still grieving the loss of his wife in a car crash and struggling to raise his young son, Max — consumed by guilt and obsession with finding the killer. Deena Comes Home Enter...

As summer fades and the nights grow longer, horror fans know it’s the perfect season to settle in with something chilling. The weather is cooling down but the movies are hotting up, with October bringing a fresh slate of nightmares to the screen. From haunted lakes and cursed rituals to survival stories and sly satires, 2025’s autumn horror releases offer plenty of reasons to keep the lights on and pulses racing well past Halloween. With a ton on offer, here’s the pick of the releases for this month so dive in and enjoy. Bone Lake    Sage and Diego book a secluded lakeside mansion for a romantic getaway, expecting privacy and a chance to reconnect. But their plans are upended when they arrive to find another couple already claiming the same rental. Polite introductions quickly give way to suspicion, attraction, and a dangerous battle of wills that spirals into a night of escalating mind games, buried secrets, and shocking violence. A blend of psychological thriller and u...

Having seen no small measure of praise for Personal Shopper, I went in not sure what to expect in the way of a relationship between haute couture and the afterlife. In any event, I was expecting more than I found - there's slow burn with simmering tension and then there's just slow - and this was the latter. An American in Paris We meet Maureen (Kristen Stewart), a young American living in Paris and working as a personal shopper for Kyra, a demanding supermodel, in a job she clearly hates. She’s grieving for her twin brother, Lewis and her boyfriend is away in Oman, leaving her in sorrowful isolation. Maureen is also a psychic medium who visits her childhood home in the hope of contacting Lewis and fulfilling the pledge they made to each other - that when one dies, they will try to contact the other from beyond. This mission doubles as a job: she’s tasked with determining if the house has a “presence” by the potential buyers, though the rationale for why she was asked to undert...

The Woman in the Yard  is a psychological horror film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra ( House of Wax, Orphan ) that explores grief, guilt, and PTSD in the wake of sudden loss, reminding us that the deepest horror often lies within. Ramona is left physically and emotionally shattered after a car accident that killed her husband. The couple had recently started a new life on a farm, but now she’s alone - trying to care for her two children, 13-year-old Taylor and six-year-old Annie, while struggling to keep the household running. From the opening scenes, Ramona’s grief is palpable. She spends her mornings unable to get out of bed, while Taylor scrapes together breakfast for the family and their dog, Charlie. Bills pile up, the power fails, and Ramona’s injuries make even walking a challenge. The children do their best to pull her out of this spiral of despair, though the effort is a strain on them all. The Woman Arrives One morning, their routine is broken when Taylor spots a mysterio...

As summer fades and the nights grow longer, horror fans have plenty to look forward to. September delivers a diverse lineup of spine-chilling films, ranging from supernatural hauntings to psychological terror and slasher mayhem. With the return of fan favorites and a new outing from Brandon Christensen, there’s no shortage of thrills leading up to the Spooky Season. Whether you’re drawn to suspenseful mysteries, eerie folklore, or full-on slasher scares, this month’s releases promise to keep every horror enthusiast on the edge of their seat. The Conjuring: Last Rites   The Conjuring: Last Rites sees the return of Ed and Lorraine Warren in the final chapter of The Conjuring saga. Inspired by the infamous 1986 haunting of the Smurl family in Pennsylvania, the Warrens are called out of near-retirement to confront one of the darkest cases of their careers. Joined by their daughter Judy and her partner Tony, Ed and Lorraine must face a demon that knows their weaknesses and is determine...

In Oculus , writer-director Mike Flanagan takes a familiar horror trope, the haunted mirror, and reframes it into something original. A supernatural psychological horror, Oculus is less concerned with jump scares and more interested in blurring the boundaries between perception and reality. It’s a chilling, mind-bending battle of wills between siblings and a malevolent force that doesn’t intend to go down without a fight. A Shattered Childhood The film opens with Tim Russell being released from a psychiatric facility into the care of his sister, Kayley, 11 years after the violent deaths of their parents in a tragedy that shattered their childhood and changed their lives forever. While Tim spent over a decade trying to piece his sanity back together, Kayley's been chasing a different truth, rooted in the antique mirror she believes was responsible for the family’s destruction. Unbeknown to Tim, Kaylie has tracked down the Lasser Glass (as the mirror is known) and orchestrated its r...

August might be heating up, but horror fans won’t be cooling off any time soon. This month’s line-up is lean, but what it lacks in quantity, it more than makes up for in potential. From unnerving hauntings to alien chaos and backwoods possession, these titles bring something fresh and fearsome to the table.  As there are so few, we’ve rounded up every horror release hitting screens this August, and for once, most of them look like they could be winners.  Together When Maddie and Jamie retreat to a remote coastal house for a much-needed break, they hope to reconnect and repair their fractured relationship. But isolation isn't always the answer and when cracks in their bond re-appear and their arguments intensify, strange phenomena begin to occur hinting at something more sinister within the house itself  The couple realise they face a terrifying question: is it just them or is something else living with them? If the trailer's anything to go by, this looks wild, intense and...

Summer might be heating up, but so is the horror. The short nights and hot weather might not feel like horror season but this July’s release slate says otherwise. From brutal reboots and eerie folklore to tight psychological thrillers and slashers, there’s no shortage of chills to cut through the heat. Here’s a quick look at the most talked-about horror films landing in July. Which ones are you excited about? Let us know in the comments. Brick Tim and Olivia wake up in their apartment to the discovery that a solid brick wall has appeared overnight, sealing them and the entire apartment building off from the outside world. With water cut off, no phone service and attempts to break-out fruitless, they and their neighbours must join together to survive and unravel the mystery of who or what has trapped them.   Described by   Tom’s Guide   as  “A mind‑twisting claustrophobic thriller. You’ll feel the walls closing in.”   Brick  promises to   build the ten...